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Galadrond t1_jdgr2to wrote

Having worked in the Mental Health field before, I tell you right now that we’ve been BEGGING for deescalation training for decades. The major focus now though is getting properly paid mental health professionals who can respond to calls in conjunction with other Emergency Services. I REALLY wish that our State Government would stop procrastinating of the implementation of empirically proven best practices in regards to mental health crises and co-occurring substance abuse.

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General_Skin_2125 t1_jdk4bea wrote

Okay, say you get a mental health professional out with the fire department on these calls... where do you bring them? to the ED? To sit in a waiting room surrounded by others also in crisis / injury?

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Necessary_Cat_4801 t1_jdivnfc wrote

The problem is there is no mental health system whatsoever at the state level and no ability to take people who are a danger to themselves or others off the street. If everything is strictly voluntary we end up with nothing.

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Galadrond t1_jdpazfd wrote

If someone is a danger to themselves or others they are in fact “taken off the street” via a court ordered psychiatric hold. They will end up at different facilities depending on the severity their symptoms. The problem is that continuity of care is next to non existent when people transition out of psychiatric facilities. The State of Vermont delegates outpatient care to a patchwork of different local agencies and that’s generally where the issues originate.

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Necessary_Cat_4801 t1_jdx7ix4 wrote

Then the bar must be really, really high. It's much higher than it is in neighboring states.

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